There are many analogies for the internet. Some see it as a web, some see it as a town, and others see it as a library. When it comes to thinking about and managing bookmarks, it is helpful to use this last analogy, and think of the internet as a great big library with endless amounts of information that could be at your fingertips if you could just remember where you put that useful book. As you start to use the internet and find information that is useful to you, here are three questions you might ask yourself.

• How do you bookmark a page?

The first thing you need to know is how to make bookmarks, so that when you find an interesting book, or website, and an interesting piece of information, you can save it for later use and not waste time looking for the book all over again. How you bookmark a page will be dependent on which browser you are using, but most browsers use a similar logic. You can usually bookmark a site either by clicking a “Bookmark” icon or button near the web address, or dragging and dropping the link to a tab on your toolbar that is called “Bookmarks.”

• Where are my bookmarks?

Once you know how to make bookmarks, you will need to find them. Bookmarks in Chrome are stored either on your toolbar, or in the built in bookmarks manager. If you do not see your bookmarks when you make them, then go into the “Customize and Control” menu, choose the bookmark manager, and then you will find the bookmark you just made.

• Should I use an online bookmark manager?

This will depend on how many bookmarks you intend to use. If there are only four or five sites that you routinely visit, then simply leaving those bookmarks on your toolbar should be sufficient. If you do a lot of research online, or find a lot of sites that you want to save for later browsing, then an online bookmark manager is essential. Try to use the one that is built into your browser before you go and download some other system. Often you will find that simpler is better, and the more complicated the features, the less likely you will be to use them.

Once you learn how to make bookmarks, where they are stored, and how to organize them, the internet will feel less like a room that is piled high with books, and more like a very organized and useful library. If you are having trouble creating, finding, and managing bookmarks with your browser, consult the help section and learn more about how your browser functions with bookmarking features.